In a "lonely" club for a decade now, India's only individual Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra's pragmatism mingled with optimism as he hoped that not one but a few more will crowd the place come Tokyo 2020.
He has been hoping and will continue to remain hopeful, Bindra, who has grown 10 years older since scripting history on a balmy August evening at Beijing in 2008, told PTI in an interaction.
"I am hoping for young Indian athletes to join me. I am quite positive and, as an athlete, I am conditioned to remain hopeful. Hopefully, we will have some Olympic champions in a couple of years," Bindra said.
The 35-year-old, who has been appointed to the International Olympic Committee's prestigious Athletes' Commission, was referring to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Bindra, who is now a businessman and runs the Abhinav Bindra High Performance Centre, looks back to his biggest moment with nostalgia.
"Well obviously that was a wonderful moment of my life, dreamt about it for 15 years. I look back with a great sense of satisfaction and a sense nostalgia.
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"Hopefully, it inspires Indian athletes to win. My time is over and I hope the present generation of Indian athletes remain inspired and it propels them to glory," Bindra said.
Since retiring from shooting, Bindra has set up a never-seen-before High Performance Training centre in India for elite athletes that boasts of cutting edge equipments. It has immensely benefitted India's athletes.
"We have had a lot of young athletes coming over, it's not just about training with young athletes. The idea is to build a knowledge-driven professional services environment that provides solutions, tight protocols and procedures facilitating peak performance.
It is also about creating awareness and training in a more holistic manner.
Asked about his appointed to the IOC's elite commission, he said, "Well I have just been appointed a couple of days ago, and this something which I am looking forward to."
"I have been chair of the ISSF's Athletes Commission so it's more than personal recognition."
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